Method of making valves



Jufiy 23, 11935.

c. H. 1.. FLINTERMANN 2,009fl45 METHOD OF MAKING VALVES Filed Jan. 30, 1932 arwca vbo't M zvd wmm Patented July 23, 1935 I I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF MAKING VALVES Carl H. L. Flinter'mam'i, deceased, late of Birmingham, Mich., by Union Guardian 'Trust Com-' pany, Detroit, Micln, administrator, assignor to Wilcox-Rich Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Application January 30, 1932, Serial No. 589,790

2Claims. (01. 29-15637) This invention relates to engine valves or the of the valve wall may be swaged so as to parlike, and more particularly'to valves containing tially close in the walls to provide an increased a quantity of cooling material which is a liquid area of weld on the inside. The head. end of at the normal operating temperature of the valve. the valve is welded first to the stem portion l'l 5 One object of the invention resides in the and after the outside material is swaged so as 5 method of making a valve for engines and the to put an increased area of weld on the inside, like, inwhich a. capsule of cooling material is the inside of the valve may, if desired,- be drilled inserted into the hollow valve stem and sealed out so as to remove the inwardly projecting part therein, the valve being then heated so as to of the weld. destroy the capsule. Before the stem end portion I3 is welded to 10 Another object of the invention is the provithe other end of the stem tube I1 the cooling sion of a capsule for use in a hollow valve, the material is inserted into the hollow chamber. capsule entirely enclosing and being substantial- This cooling material may be metallic sodium Iy full of a quantity of material which is readily or a mixture of readily meltable metals of like I afiected'by air-or moisture, and being formed character, or ay be a suitable cooling salt such 15 of a normally solid material of such character as a mixture of potassium nitrate and lithium that the capsule will be destroyed when subjected t Po essium nitrate and lithium nitrate to a high heat. absorb moisture very readily, and metallic sodium Other objects and advantages of the invention readily e fire in a at rd n ry temp rawill be apparent from the following descripion, tures. In order to permi the g medium 20 the appended claims and the accompanying drawto be readily handled a pp d to t i terior ing, in whichof the valve, it is prepared in a capsule or con- Fig. l is a longitudinal section of a valve emtamer- These capsules of Sodium cooling al bodying t present invention; may be prepared in advance in any desired quan- Fig. 2 shows a partially formed valve, in sectity and readily Stor d un il ey n to be used, 25 tion; as the capsule or container protects the contents Fig 3 is a section on the line 34 of i '1; from air and moisture. The capsules are sealed and full of the cooling material so as to entirely pro- Fig. 4 is a view of a capsule of cooling material. tee; the 60011118 material from a d moisture.

Referring more particularly to the drawing but the capsules are so made that they do not 30 by reference numerals, like numerals designate exist, as 1 in the valve after the valve has similar parts in the'various views, Ill designates been completed and is ady r use. The magenerally valve member shown in t ordinary terial forming the container or capsule is of such poppet valve form d comprising a head character that the capsule will be. destroyed 35 stem l2 and valve tip l3; The valve stem is either by fusing before the Valve a y o use. 35 hollow so as to provide an interior space M which at S comparatively high pe a u e or be contains a quantity of cooling material adapted destroyed by the expansive eil'ect of thesodium to transfer heat from the head end of the valve the Salt when a comparatively high temperatoward the stem end in the manner more fully hire is example. the psule con- 40 explained in Patent No. 1,670,965, dated May 22, tain r may be f rm d f pp r, aluminum, or 40 1928 some other similar metal so that the capsule will The valve member may be formed of a plube burst at a temperature of several hundred rality of sections, welded together so as to prodegrees e e The c p u e, bei g substanvide an integral entirety. For example the valve tially entirely full of the $811? Sodium w h may comprise the partly drilled out head porhas a comparatively high rate ofe pansion, an- 45 tion It, the tube l1 and the stem end portion l3. not Withstand t'lhe large expansion Of its contents The ends of the tube II are preferably of enat compara iv y hi emp ratures, and will larged thickness so that welds or substantial burst, thecapsule being quite considerably smallarea may be formed where these ends are joined er than the interior chamber in the valve so the 5 to the ends of the two end sections at the points valve can not hold the container against the I! and 20. The ends of the two end sections bursting efle H v r, if desired. the capsule may also be of enlarged diameter before the material may be of lead or tin foil, both having welding operation is dictated, and after thesecfusing points below 700 F., or may be of nontions are welded together the enlargements prometallic character and formed of'sueh material vided' at the points I! and 2| on the outside as rubber or acellulose base composition such as commercial cellophane or the like. A capsule formed of such material will be destroyed or fused at temperatures of several hundred degrees Fahrenheit so as to release the cooling material in order that it may be thrown from one end of the valve chamber to the other and transfer heat from the hotter head end of the valve to the stem portion. When sodium is used the metallic sodium rods of suitable length may be dipped in rubber or other protective material to form an enclosing casing sealing the sodium from the action of air and moisture and forming a capsuleadapted to be readily inserted and which may be formed in any desired quantity at convenient times and stored untilthey need to be used.

The use of a capsule to enclose the metallic sodium or other cooling medium employed lends itself admirably for X-ray purposes in order that the amount of cooling medium within a valve can be determined as a check against leakage for example. The lead, for example, of the capsule will be mixed or combined with the cooling medium itself and the use of an X-ray determines the height of the column of cooling medium although it might not be able to determine the pure cooling medium without the additional substance of higher molecular weight.

After the valve parts are welded together the valves are subjected to a heat treatment of about 1500 F. so as to normalize the welds and this heat treatment destroys the capsule either by fusing the substance of which the capsule or container is formed, or destroying it by the expansive effect of the cooling material contained therein. After the weld normalizing step, the valve is preferably quenched and the valve stem end drawn to obtain the desired hardness.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 4 the capsule is a round tube of such diameter as to be readily placed within the hollow space in the valve stem. The length of the capsule is preferably about of the length of the valve chamber. The end 2| of the capsule is bent over and sealed after the cooling salt or sodium is inserted so that the cooling material is sealed from air and moisture. Preferably the capsule is just a little smaller in diameter than the interior chamber of the valve so the capsule may be dropped readily into the valve stem opening. However, when the end of the stem is closed and the valve is heated to a high temperature, above that ever given to it in use,

the copper, aluminum or other metallic sides of the capsule are forced out under considerable force into intimate contact with the sides of the valve chamber before the capsule bursts out at the end, due to the expansion of the contained cooling medium.

It will now be apparent that in accordance with the present invention, the salt or sodium or like material used as a cooling agent for a hollow valve may be readily handled and may be prepared in capsule form long in advance of the time of insertion into the valve member in which it is sealed. However, before the valve is used, the heat treating operation to which it is subjected destroys the capsule, leaving the cooling material partially filling the hollow chamber of the valve so that it can readily flow from one end of this chamber to the other and transfer heat from the valve head to the valve stem portion.

While the method herein described, and the form of apparatus for carrying this method into effect, constitute preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to this precise method and. form of apparatus, and that changes may be made in either without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A method of making a valve comprising forming a valve member with a hollow stem portion, inserting a closed capsule full of cooling material which is readily aifected by air or moisture and which is a liquid at the normal working temperatures of the valve, sealing the closed capsule in the hollow stem portion, and heating the valve so as to destroy the capsule.

2. The method of making an engine valve comprising forming a valve member with a hollow stem portion, inserting a closed metal capsule of cooling material which is readily aifected by air or moisture and which is a liquid at the normal working temperatures of the valve, sealing the closed capsule in the hollow stem portion, and heating the valve to the melting point of the capsule material to destroy the capsule.

UNION GUARDIAN TRUST COMPANY, Administrator of the Estate of Carl H. L. Flintermann, Deceased, By R. E. HOFELICH,

Vice-President. 

